This section provides background information related to the present disclosure that is not necessarily prior art.
Various guide tools have been proposed for assisting surgeons during surgical procedures. For instance, a cutting guide can be used during implantation of a prosthetic device.
In the case of a prosthetic knee, for example, a femoral cutting guide can be fixed at a known position relative to the femur. The cutting guide can include one or more surfaces that are consequently fixed at a known position relative to the femur. A cutting tool, such as a reciprocating blade can be operated while sliding along the guide surface of the cutting guide such that the femur can be cut (e.g., resected) at predetermined locations to predetermined dimensions. These anatomical cuts can form surfaces against which the femoral prosthetic device can seat.
Also, in some embodiments, the cutting guide can be used to guide the formation of holes or other features that can receive a referencing object (e.g., a pin, etc.) in a bone. Once the referencing object is fixed to the bone, another object (e.g., a cutting guide, etc.) can be attached to the referencing object for further use in a predetermined position.